Door-securer



(No Model.)

H. A. W'ITMAN.

DOOR SEGURER- No. 338,214. Patented Mar. 16, I886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. VVITMAN, OF WVERNERSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

DOOR-SECURER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,214, dated March 16,1885.

Application filed January 22, 1886. Serial No. 189.408.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY A. WITMAN, of Wernersville, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Securers; and I do hereby declare that the following s a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which formpart of this specification.

My invention has relation to devices for securing doors independently of the ordinary locks or latches used for such purposes, and has for its object to furnish a portable device for use by travelers or the public generally, whereby the door of any hotel or other room may be securely fastened from the inside; and with this object in view my invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and afterward specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device in position for insertion into the space between the door and its frame orjamb. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the device in the same position,

showing the manner of applying it to the door. Fig. 3is an end view thereof. Fig. 4 is acentral longitudinal section therethrough. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section therethrough, the hook being in a different position, and a section through parts of a door, and itsjamb or frame being shown. Fig. 6 is a view in end elevation of the hook-piece removed, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof.

Like letters ofreference mark the same parts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings by letters, A is the. main body of my device, which consists, essentially. of a trough-like structure having sides a a above longitudinal slots B B, said slots extending not quite to the ends of the body A.

O O are the ends of the body A, the former of which does not extend to the top of the sides a a, but is cut away or shortened at 0, while the latter extends up to and finishes flush with said sides a a. The slots B B may extend (No model.)

parallel with the edges ofsides a a, or may be slightly inclined thereto, if desired, making said sides slightly wedge-shaped.

The only other piece of my improved device consists ofa main body or stem, D, having at its outer end a hook, (I, and bent at a right angle, as at E, forming ashoulder or angle at e, and again bent downward, as at F, parallel to stem D, said portion F being thickened and provided with trunnion-bearings or pinsff, as shown.

In operation my device is placed, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, andd, with the pins ffin one end of the slots B B and the shoulder eresting on the top 0 of end 0. This, by reason of the peculiar shape of the hook-piece and the length of the slots, brings the main stem D flush and in a direct line wit-h the end O of the body when it isplaced against the edge of the door frame or jamb G, and the point (1 presses into the wood, as seen in Fig. 2. The door H may now be closed, assuming the position shown in the same figure, and the body Aslid along, bringing the trunnions to or near the center of the slots B B, forming a bolt which securely holds the door against opening. The provision of the shoulder e and right-angular bends in the hook-piece renders this possible, and when the parts are placed in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 theyare rigid and not liable to be displaced in placing them against the jainbs. Further than this, the structure possesses a great advautagein position, such as illustrated in Fig. 5. In this instance I have shown a state of affairs which often existviz., the wood of the door and jamb have shrunk, or by dropping of the door have parted, so that the space between them is as wide, or substantially so, as the point 01 islong, so that such a doorsecurer as is ordinarily usedisinoperative. In my device the pointis inserted in the janib as usual, and the body slid along, forming the bolt, as aforesaid. Now, by reason of the fact that the bearing between the body and the pins ff is carried beyond the edge of the jamb, any strain brought thereon by attempting to open the door will cause the hook-piece to become a let er of the first order, with the fulcrum at 0 against the door, the power atf exerted in the direction of the arrow, and the weight at (Z exerted in the direction of the arrow at that point, whereby the hook d is pressed harder and harder into the wood of the jamb as more pressure is applied to the door in the attempt to open it. Ordinarily, where there is a wide space between the door andjamb,the point will either pull out entirely without engagement with the wood or have such a small hold thereon that it will drag out, mutilating the doorjamb in its passage. My construction thus renders the securing of the door possible even though the space between the door andjamb is wider than the length of the hook.

My device is very cheap to construct, the body being cast of brass or malleabieiron, and the hook-piece inserted by bending the sides a a apart, the strain on them being edgewise when in use, and when the device is out of use the hook may be folded into the body and the whole carried in the vest-pocket, ifdesired.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The body A, consisting of sides a a and slotted and having one end shortened at c, in combination with the hook-piece having pins to engage said slots. and shoulders eto engage the end 0, as set forth.

2. In combination, the body A, having slots B B, in combination with the hook-piece having arms E, stem F, and pins ff, whereby the bearing of said pins in the slot is brought inside the edge of the door-janib, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY A. \VITMAN.

WVitnesses:

I. B. LEVAN, J. R. BURKEY. 

